memeorandum: Extra forces — Meanwhile, the build-up of forces to enforce the no-fly zone continues. (BBC)

8:45 AM ET, March 21, 2011

Top Items:

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

A Very Liberal Intervention — In its month-long crab walk toward a military confrontation with Libya's Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Obama administration has delivered a clinic in the liberal way of war. — Just a week ago, as the tide began to turn against the anti-Qaddafi rebellion …

Discussion: Right Wing News, Weekly Standard, Daily Kos, American Power and No More Mister Nice Blog

Boehner:

Statement by Speaker Boehner on Libya — House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement on the situation in Libya:

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Cubachi, Open Congress, Liberty Pundits Blog, Washington Wire, The Daily Dish and HotAirPundit

Guardian:

Gaddafi may become target of air strikes, Liam Fox admits — Coalition forces accused of mission creep and disproportionate action against Tripoli — America, France and Britain - the leaders of the coalition's air attacks on Libya - were struggling to maintain international support for their actions …

Discussion: Jihad Watch and The Page

BBC:

Tripoli blast as coalition action goes on — Libya said it was ordering all its forces to observe an immediate ceasefire — The Pentagon expects to hand over control of allied military operations in Libya “in a matter of days”, either to a UK-France coalition or to Nato, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates says.

Discussion: TalkLeft, Pajamas Media, The Raw Story, Outside the Beltway and The Moderate Voice

Fox News:

(END VIDEO CLIPS) — WALLACE: Admiral, as you understand your mission, not the U.N. resolution, but your orders from the president, have we given up on regime change, ousting Qaddafi from power? — MULLEN: This particular military mission is very focused on ensuring that he can't kill …

Discussion: Washington Post, Daily Loaf and Crooks and Liars

Alex Spillius / Telegraph:
Libya: Mike Mullen admits stalemate could leave Gaddafi in charge

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Taylor Marsh and Pajamas Media

New York Times:
Allies Target Qaddafi's Ground Forces as Libyan Rebels Regroup

Discussion: Free exchange, New York Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Monthly, Balloon Juice, Global Public Square, Washington Post, The Atlantic Online and NationalJournal.com

Washington Post:
Arab League condemns broad bombing campaign in Libya

Discussion: Right Wing News, Outside the Beltway, Mother Jones, Firedoglake, Scared Monkeys, The Hill, JustOneMinute and Maggie's Farm

CNN:
Coalition targets Gadhafi compound

Discussion: Daily Mail, This Just In, Pajamas Media and Reuters

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Boehner wants Obama to explain US role in Libya

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots, The Politico and CNN

David Morgan / Reuters:
U.S. stresses limits to military role in Libya

Discussion: Informed Comment, Wall Street Journal, The Mahablog and BRIC Breaker

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Just a Bad, Bad Idea — At the end of last week I couldn't help tweeting that everything I was seeing in Libya was bringing out my inner foreign policy Realist. And everything I've seen this weekend has confirmed me in that view. Indeed, there are so many reasons this strikes me as a bad idea I really hardly know where to start.

Discussion: The Daily Dish and Hullabaloo

Paul Krugman:

Rantings of an Ex-Maestro — Some people have asked me for reactions to this piece by Alan Greenspan (pdf) on how Obama's activism is preventing economic recovery. I could go through the weak reasoning, the shoddy econometrics that ignores a large literature on business investment and ignores simultaneity problems, etc., etc..

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality …, Sky Dancing, Mother Jones, TheMoneyIllusion and Hullabaloo

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

Nader: Obama should be impeached for ‘war crimes’ — Former presidential candidate Ralph Nader says that President Obama should be impeached for committing war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. — The consumer advocate and former presidential candidate said in an interview that aired Friday …

Discussion: Sky Dancing, American Thinker, American Power, theblogprof, A Tiny Revolution, Althouse, HotAirPundit, Questions and Observations, AmSpecBlog, Fox Nation, Weasel Zippers and Tim Blair

John / Power Line:

Sarah Palin In Jerusalem — Liberals love to insult Sarah Palin's intelligence. It's not a subject on which I have any particular opinion, except to note that, apparently by a remarkable coincidence, her judgment is correct on just about every subject. For instance, Israel.

Discussion: Cubachi, The Politico, Weasel Zippers, Conservatives4Palin and Atlas Shrugs

Liberty Chick / Big Government:

SEIU Hit With RICO Lawsuit, Blames Hunton and Williams and...Koch Brothers — After years of being harassed by the purple people beaters, one company has finally said ENOUGH. — In a press release issued Thursday, Sodexo USA announced that the company has filed a civil lawsuit …

Discussion: theblogprof, iOwnTheWorld.com, The Huffington Post, Weasel Zippers, The Lonely Conservative and Pajamas Media

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

The War on Warren — Last week, at a House hearing on financial institutions and consumer credit, Republicans lined up to grill and attack Elizabeth Warren, the law professor and bankruptcy expert who is in charge of setting up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Discussion: Prairie Weather and naked capitalism

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

Times's Online Pay Model Was Years in the Making — The discussions played out over most of 2009 amid the hum of the third floor newsroom and in the executive suites high above Times Square, consuming what seemed like countless meetings and consultants' recommendations.

Discussion: Media Decoder, Balloon Juice and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters.org blogs:

Andrew Sullivan: 'I Don't Know Why Anybody Voted for Obama in the Primaries - It's a Clintonian Mess' — The far-left in America are having a collective conniption fit over President Obama's decision to attack Libya. — Included in the wolf pack is the Atlantic magazine's Andrew Sullivan …

Discussion: The Politico, The Other McCain, Hot Air and Verum Serum